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BACKGROUND: The Accreditation Council for Lung Cancer CT Screening of Japan established guidelines for the certification of Radiological Technologists in 2009. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the trends in examination pass rates of the Radiological Technologists and discuss the reasons. METHODS: The cohort comprised 1593 Radiological Technologists (as examinees) based on 10-year of data (with a total of 17 examination runs). First, the examinees' written test results were analyzed. Second, an abnormal finding detection test was conducted using >100 client PCs connected to a dedicated server containing low-dose lung cancer CT screening images of 60 cases. The passing scores were correct answer rate >60% and sensitivity (TP) of >90%, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, 1243 examinees passed with an overall rate of 78%. The average pass rate for the written test was 91%, whereas that for the abnormal findings detection test was 85%. There was a moderate correlation between the test pass rate and average years of clinical experience of the examinees for the abnormal findings detection test (R = 0.558), whereas no such correlation existed for the written test (R = 0.105). CONCLUSIONS: In order for accredited Radiological Technologists to serve as primary screeners of low-dose computed tomography, it is important to revise the educational system according to current standard practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As advanced synthetic technology has enabled drug candidate development with complex structure, resulting in low solubility and membrane permeability, the strategies to improve poorly absorbed drug bioavailability have attracted the attention of pharmaceutical companies. It has been demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO), a vital signaling molecule that plays an important role in various physiological systems, affects intestinal drug absorption. However, NO and its oxidants are directly toxic to the gastrointestinal tract, thereby limiting their potential clinical application as absorption enhancers. In this study, we show that sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an FDA-approved vasodilator, enhances the intestinal absorption of lipophilic drugs in the proximal parts of the small intestine in rats. The SNP pretreatment of the rat gastrointestinal sacs significantly increased griseofulvin and flurbiprofen permeation in the duodenum and jejunum but not in the ileum and colon. These SNP-related enhancement effects were attenuated by the co-pretreatment with dithiothreitol or c-PTIO, an NO scavenger. The permeation-enhancing effects were not observed in the case of antipyrine, theophylline, and propranolol in the duodenum and jejunum. Furthermore, the SNP treatment significantly increased acidic glycoprotein release from the mucosal layers specifically in the duodenum and jejunum but not in the ileum and colon. These results suggest that SNP increases lipophilic drug membrane permeability specifically in the proximal region of the small intestine through disruption of the mucosal layer.

Objectives The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity of detection of lung nodules on low-dose screening CT images between radiologists and technologists. Methods 11 radiologists and 10 technologists read the low-dose screening CT images of 78 subjects. On images with a slice thickness of 5 mm, there were 60 lung nodules that were ≥5 mm in diameter: 26 nodules with pure ground-glass opacity (GGO), 7 nodules with mixed ground-glass opacity (GGO with a solid component) and 27 solid nodules. On images with a slice thickness of 2 mm, 69 lung nodules were ≥5 mm in diameter: 35 pure GGOs, 7 mixed GGOs and 27 solid nodules. The 21 observers read screening CT images of 5-mm slice thickness at first; then, 6 months later, they read screening CT images of 2-mm slice thickness from the 78 subjects. Results The differences in the mean sensitivities of detection of the pure GGOs, mixed GGOs and solid nodules between radiologists and technologists were not statistically significant, except for the case of solid nodules; the p-values of the differences for pure GGOs, mixed GGOs and solid nodules on the CT images with 5-mm slice thickness were 0.095, 0.461 and 0.005, respectively, and the corresponding p-values on CT images of 2-mm slice thickness were 0.971, 0.722 and 0.0037, respectively. Conclusion Well-trained technologists may contribute to the detection of pure and mixed GGOs ≥5 mm in diameter on low-dose screening CT images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between aortic stiffness and incident albuminuria and the decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with type 2 diabetes.Research Design and Methods: We investigated 461 Japanese type 2 diabetic patients, comprising 199 women and 262 men, with a mean age of 59 ± 11 years. Patients were divided into two groups according to the median value of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), which was used to evaluate aortic stiffness. The end point was defined as the transition from normo- to microalbuminuria or micro- to macroalbuminuria. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI. The correlation between cf-PWV and rate of change in eGFR was also determined by linear regression analysis.Results: The baseline mean (± SD) cf-PWV was 9.6 ± 2.4 m/s. During a median follow-up period of 5.9 years (range 0.3-8.6), progression of albuminuria was observed in 85 patients. The 5-year cumulative incidence of the end point in patients with cf-PWV below and above the median was 8.5 and 19.4%, respectively (P = 0.002, log-rank test). cf-PWV was significantly associated with incident albuminuria (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.13-1.33, P < 0.001) by multivariate Cox regression analysis. A significant association between cf-PWV and annual change in eGFR was also suggested by multiple linear regression analysis (standardized estimate -0.095, P = 0.031).Conclusions: Aortic stiffness is associated with incident albuminuria and the rate of decline in glomerular filtration rate in type 2 diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The interfacial resistance between the composite electrode and PEO-based solid polymer electrolyte was examined using two different symmetrical cells and AC impedance measurements in the temperature range of 30–60°C. Of the four major resistance components identified in our previous study, three components due to the resistances of the polymer electrolyte and the charge transfer resistance between LiFePO4-C and the electrolyte were assigned; however, one resistance component, in the medium frequency range has not yet been assigned. In this report, the medium frequency range resistance component was investigated using a symmetrical cell with composite electrodes composed of active and inactive materials (LiCoO2, LiMn2O4 and SiO2), solid polymer electrolyte, and carbon fiber as an electron conductor. The resistance was not affected by the carbon coating in LiFePO4-C and the conductive carbon additive (VGCF). An electron blocking cell was also prepared and the resistance was measured in the temperature range of 30–60°C to confirm the effect of the electrode thickness and the electrode composition. The resistance was not affected by the thickness, and decreased with decreasing PEO-LiTFSI electrolyte content in the composite electrode. However, no significant change in the activation energy was evident with the change in the electrode composition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electrochemical performance of a composite of nano-Si powder and a pyrolytic carbon of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with carbon nanofiber (CNF) was examined as an anode for solid-polymer lithium-ion batteries. Nano-Si powder was firstly coated with carbon by pyrolysis of PVC and then mixed with CNF (referred to as Si/C@CNF) using a rotation mixer. The composite exhibited good cycling performance, but suffered from a large irreversible capacity loss of which the retention was less than 60%. In order to reduce the loss, a thin lithium sheet was attached to the Si/C@CNF electrode surface as a reducing agent. The irreversible capacity of the first cycle was lowered to as much as 0mAhg−1 and after the third cycle, the lithium insertion and extraction efficiency was almost 100%. A reversible capacity of more than 1000mAhg−1 was still maintained after 40 cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: We investigated whether images of stationary objects obtained by segmental acquisition with positron emission tomography using 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]-fluoro-D: -glucose (FDG-PET) are of a quality equivalent to those obtained by conventional continuous acquisition.Materials and Methods: Phantoms filled with FDG and mid-abdominal regions of 18 patients who underwent FDG-PET tests were imaged by both continuous and segmental acquisition methods. The total acquisition time was set to 3 min; in the segmental acquisition mode, imaging for 15 s was repeated 12 times. Segmental images (SIs) obtained by superimposition of the reconstructed images were compared quantitatively and visually with continuous images (CIs).Results: In all the phantom and clinical studies, SIs were never worse than CIs. The variances of the background counts of SIs were 9.8% and 13.0% less those of CIs in phantom and clinical studies, respectively. Visual assessments showed that SIs provided better detection of hot areas and superior image quality when compared to CIs.Conclusion: For stationary objects, the quality of images obtained by the segmental method is equivalent to that of images obtained conventionally by continuous acquisition. Moreover, under some conditions SIs provide better results than CIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The interface resistance between Li x FePO4 and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–Li(CF3SO2)2N (LiTFSI) was examined by AC impedance measurement of a Li x FePO4/PEO–LiTFSI/Li x FePO4 cell in the temperature range of 30–60°C. Four types of resistance, R0, R1, R2 and R3 were proposed according to analysis of the cell impedance using an equivalent circuit. The sum of R0 and R1 in the high frequency range is consistent with the resistance of the PEO electrolyte. R2 in the middle frequency range is related to lithium ion transport to an active point for charge transfer inside the composite electrode, and R3 in the low frequency range is considered to be the charge transfer resistance. The activation energy for R2 was affected by the thickness and composition of the electrode, whereas that for R3 was not. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electrochemical performance of a composite of nano-Si powder and a pyrolytic carbon of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with carbon nanofiber (CNF) was examined as an anode for lithium-ion batteries. CNF was incorporated into the composite by two methods; direct mixing of CNF with the nano-Si powder coated with carbon produced by pyrolysis of PVC (referred to as Si/C/CNF-1) and mixing of CNF, nano-Si powder, and PVC with subsequent firing (referred to as Si/C/CNF-2). The external Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of Si/C/CNF-1 was comparable to that of Si/C/CNF-2. The micropore BET surface area of Si/C/CNF-2 (73.86m2 g−1) was extremely higher than that of Si/C/CNF-1 (0.74m2 g−1). The composites prepared by both methods exhibited high capacity and excellent cycling stability for lithium insertion and extraction. A capacity of more than 900mAhg−1 was maintained after 30 cycles. The coulombic efficiency of the first cycle for Si/C/CNF-1 was as low as 53%, compared with 73% for Si/C/CNF-2. Impedance analysis of cells containing these anode materials suggested that the charge transfer resistance for Si/C/CNF-1 was not changed by cycling, but that Si/C/CNF-2 had high charge transfer resistance after cycling. A composite electrode prepared by mixing Si/C/CNF-2 and CNF exhibited a high reversible capacity at high rate, excellent cycling performance, and a high coulombic efficiency during the first lithium insertion and extraction cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A high-performance carbon–Si composite anode for lithium rechargeable batteries was developed. Si powder was coated with amorphous carbon by pyrolyzing polyvinyl chloride and chlorinated polyethylene at 900°C for 2h. The electrochemical performance of the carbon–Si composite anode depended on the Si particle size and the carbon content of the composite. A carbon–nano-size Si (average size 50nm) composite with 48wt.% carbon showed an excellent performance. The coulombic efficiency in the first cycle was 69.2% and the second cycle reversible discharge capacity of 970mAhg−1. The capacity fade on cycling was 0.24% per cycle during the first 40 cycles. The carbon–micron-sized Si (average size 4μm) composite showed a high coulombic efficiency of 78.6% in first cycle, but with poor cycling performance. The capacity fade within 30 cycles was 1.7% per cycle. The effect of the chlorine content in the precursor on the cycling performance was not detectable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: LiFePO4/carbon composite electrode was prepared and applied to the dry polymer electrolyte. Enhanced low-temperature performance of LiFePO4 was achieved by modifying the interface between LiFePO4 and polymer electrolyte. The molecular weight of the polymer and the salt concentration as the Li/O ratio were optimized at 3×105 and 1/10, respectively. Impedance analysis revealed that a small resistive component occurred in the frequency range of the charge transfer process. The reversible capacity of the laminate cell was 140mAhg−1 (C/20) and 110mAhg−1 (C/2) at 40°C, which is comparable to the performance in the liquid electrolyte system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We encountered four patients with overt primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) which were histologically classified into stage 2 or 3. We examined the expression of stem cell factor (SCF), a ligand of c-kit, in injured bile ducts by immunohistochemistry, and mast cells were identified by immunohistochemistry using anti-HMCT (human mast cell tryptase) and anti-c-kit antibodies to clarify their relation with portal fibrosis coincident with destroyed bile ducts. SCF was detected in the epithelia of most bile ducts in PSC, and many HMCT- and c-kit-positive mast cells were found in portal tracts. Image analysis showed more significant numbers of c-kit-positive mast cells per area of portal tract in PSC than in chronic hepatitis C, and they might increase from stage 2 to 3. c-Kit-positive cells infiltrated into the portal tracts with SCF-positive destroyed bile ducts, and c-kit mast cells should be investigated in detail to make a role for portal fibrosis in PSC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Dispersing ultrafine silicon particles within a ductile graphite matrix by means of high-energy mechanical milling (HEMM) provides an effective way to alleviate the volume effects of silicon upon the repeated electrochemical Li insertion and extraction, resulting in a significantly improved mechanical strength. However, HEMM increases the initial irreversible capacity to unaccepted levels. This deterrent can be overcome by introducing a certain amount of hexagonal Li2.6Co0.4N into above silicon–graphite hosts. The Si–graphite–Li2.6Co0.4N composite synthesized from two HEMM steps demonstrates a large reversible capacity of ca. 1Ahg-1 accompanied with a high cycling stability. Research reveals that the elastic graphite–Li2.6Co0.4N matrix with a good electrical/ionic conductivity can permit the silicon in the matrix to operate while maintaining the morphology integrity. More important, fully lithiated Li2.6Co0.4N plays a role in the capacity compensation in the first cycle that leads to a high initial coulombic efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To clarify the association of serum leptin levels with progression of diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).Research Design and Methods: This was an observational cohort study of 668 patients with T2D. Patients were classified into three groups by sex-specific tertile of leptin levels. Outcome measurements were the rate of change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and progression to a more advanced stage of albuminuria.Results: Patients with low or high leptin levels had a steeper eGFR decline (-2.07 and -2.14 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/year) than those with midrange leptin levels (-0.82 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/year; P < 0.01), whereas patients with low leptin levels had an elevated risk of progression of albuminuria as compared with those with high leptin levels (hazard ratio 3.125 [95% CI 1.302-7.499]).Conclusions: Both low and high serum leptin levels were risk factors for kidney function decline. Meanwhile, lower serum leptin levels were associated with progression of albuminuria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C16H21IN4, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 10.433(1) Å, b = 13.846(1) Å, c = 12.162(1) Å, β = 97.294(2)°, V = 1742.7 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0352, wRref(F2) = 0.0935, T = 123 K.